Hubbard-Smith Earns Offer Out of His Backyard

Corey Bender

05/14/2014

Tyrell Hubbard-Smith picked up offer No. 3 from linebackers coach Raymond Woodie and the University of South Florida on Wednesday. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood product talks about his initial in-state scholarship offer, his familiarity with the Bulls' program, visit plans over the summer, and more below.

Tyrell Hubbard-Smith, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound instinctive cornerback out of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood High School, was a playmaker in the Spartans' secondary as a junior in 2013, and hopes to garner the attention of collegiate coaches before his senior campaign kicks into gear.

The University of South Florida, who's campus resides less than 40 minutes away from Hubbard-Smith's home in Tampa Bay, jumped into the mix on Wednesday morning and turned their ascending interest into Hubbard-Smith's initial in-state scholarship offer of the recruiting process.

"I talk to (linebackers) coach (Raymond) Woodie all of the time, so I kind of felt it would come any minute now," Hubbard-Smith said. "But we had a conversation last night over the phone and he told me he was coming to see me this morning and then he offered me."

Coach Taggart and the Bulls' coaching staff have placed an emphasis on recruiting the local talent residing in the nearby Tampa Bay area. For Hubbard-Smith, he's took notice of Taggart's recruiting efforts and grew up with some of current student-athletes on South Florida's roster.

"USF is basically in my backyard," Hubbard-Smith said. "I'm familiar with a lot of the players and I visited last year for a couple games. They made me feel at home even without an offer."

The Lakewood defensive back is poised to earn additional scholarship offers in the foreseeable future, but is there a school starting to climb towards the top of his list?

"Not really, but USF has the upper hand with them being so close," Hubbard-Smith said. "I would like to stay in Florida, but if there's a better opportunity out-of-state, I'm more than willing to leave."

Tyrell Hubbard-Smith, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound instinctive cornerback out of St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood High School, was a playmaker in the Spartans' secondary as a junior in 2013, and hopes to garner the attention of collegiate coaches before his senior campaign kicks into gear.

The University of South Florida, who's campus resides less than 40 minutes away from Hubbard-Smith's home in Tampa Bay, jumped into the mix on Wednesday morning and turned their ascending interest into Hubbard-Smith's initial in-state scholarship offer of the recruiting process.

\"I talk to (linebackers) coach (Raymond) Woodie all of the time, so I kind of felt it would come any minute now,\" Hubbard-Smith said. \"But we had a conversation last night over the phone and he told me he was coming to see me this morning and then he offered me.\"

Coach Taggart and the Bulls' coaching staff have placed an emphasis on recruiting the local talent residing in the nearby Tampa Bay area. For Hubbard-Smith, he's took notice of Taggart's recruiting efforts and grew up with some of current student-athletes on South Florida's roster.

\"USF is basically in my backyard,\" Hubbard-Smith said. \"I'm familiar with a lot of the players and I visited last year for a couple games. They made me feel at home even without an offer.\"

The Lakewood defensive back is poised to earn additional scholarship offers in the foreseeable future, but is there a school starting to climb towards the top of his list?

\"Not really, but USF has the upper hand with them being so close,\" Hubbard-Smith said. \"I would like to stay in Florida, but if there's a better opportunity out-of-state, I'm more than willing to leave.\"